


Freshman Days

by iizuritsuu



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, please do not read, this is so embarrassing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:27:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29690193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iizuritsuu/pseuds/iizuritsuu
Summary: These are OCs I’m so embarrassed. . I name all my characters after historical figures so that’s why the names are weird AF IM PRETTY MUCH ONLY POSTING YHIS FOR MY FRIEND TO SEE ! !
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi Sofia

Dark eyes fluttered closed as the wind filtered through the cold, metal window. Julius twirled a piece of soft hair with his fingers, admiring the way it shined in the mid-afternoon light. People frequently complimented his well-kept hair, but now it has been tainted, like everything else in his life it seems. It wasn’t a conscious decision to let his bangs grow out well past his eyes, filtering his vision and being a general nuisance, but the perks that came with looking like a freak were nice. People avoided Julius’s hard gaze, still visible through the long strands of hair that fell over his face. 

The ninth period bell stripped Julius from his musings, pulling him from his seat as he quickly packed his bag. There was no need to loiter, as there wasn’t anyone he needed to be seeing. The blonde had desperately asked to be homeschooled this year, the shame that came with walking through the halls, always alone, was too much. Watching the groups of people laughing and making plans made him feel bitter, a distasteful expression growing on his face every second. 

As Julius passed the gym, nearly out of the school, there was a clang of a can from somewhere within the locker room. Julius chewed on his lip a bit, it wasn’t that strange, but maybe someone needed help? He clicked his tongue, there was no need act nice around these fools. Yet he found his feet moving in towards the lockers, curiosity getting the best of the frail boy. 

Grey, tussled hair fell into his vision, and Julius felt his expression twist into distaste. Alexander. If his presence wasn’t enough of a bother, the smell of beer lingered in the air. Julius stormed up to the boy, ready to tell him off for his idiocy. But as his eyes fell upon Alex’s form, hunched over and defeated, Julius couldn’t help but feel sympathy. 

Memories of laying in bed all day, barely moving, voice never above a whisper, flashed through his mind. It was only a few months ago when Julius was wasting his days away, staring at the wall and wishing the world would disappear. 

“Hey, get up before a pound your face in”, Julius paused, “looking at you in this sorry state is really pissing me off.” 

So maybe that wasn’t what he had intended to say, but there was no going back now. It wasn’t like he wanted Alex to like him, he didn’t want anyone in this entire building to like him. It would be easier if they all hated him anyway. Getting close to others never leads to anything good. 

Alex looked up at him with glossy eyes, cracking a small smile. “...Julius..?” 

It nearly made Julius jump, hearing his name so softly spoken. It felt wrong, like the bloodied, dirty, name shouldn’t be spoken in such a manner. The blonde grabbed Alex’s collar, pushing their faces closer together. 

“...can you get up?” 

That was much softer then he had intended, no bark to it at all, merely a question of sincerity. It made him sick. Alex stumbled to his feet before awkwardly leaning on Julius. 

“Hey! I’m much shorter then you, so this kinda hurts my back..! And, I didn’t give you permission to touch me, idiot!” That was better. Hopefully, Julius could scare Alex off as quickly as possible. 

“Julius...heh.” Alex slurred, “I wanna go home now...” Alex almost whispered. 

Julius only nodded, a little stunned at what to possibly do. He decided the best course of action would be to walk Alex home, so he did. But with Alex’s weight on him, he could feel his weak body beginning to shake. Long walks were not recommended for his condition at the moment, let alone a whole person leaning against you. “...Hey. Why’re you breathin’ so hard..?” Alex questioned into the crook of Julius’ neck. Julius rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling awkward. 

“Because an oaf is leaning against me.” 

“Nn...sorry.”

“...Hmph. You should be.”

“Gah...so mean..! We’re almost at my house though, so hold out Julius.”

“You’re the one who can’t walk straight! Stop talking to me like you know me.”

“I do though, don’t I?”

Julius paused. Technically speaking, yes, Alex knew of him. But they weren’t close, certainly not. It was already annoying to distance himself from Alex, but this would make things much more difficult. 

“We’re here.” Alex stopped to unlock the door, the grand entrance swinging open. Julius startled, this house was much nicer then his. And while everyone in this part of town was incredibly wealthy, he hadn’t expected Alex’s house to look so luxurious. 

Alex seemed to be beckoning Julius inside. No, no no no. This would be the end of Julius. First off, considering how much of a slob Alex was, his house was probably filled with germs. Additionally, would this make them friends? Julius was for certain he didn’t want that. But he felt bad for whatever reason, so he followed Alex inside. 

Now that Julius stopped to take a breath, he realized how heavy he was breathing. How sad that a simple walk put him in such a state. Alex seemed to have crashed on the couch, allowing Julius to see how messy the mansion was. It seemed that someone else lived here, but no parent would allow for a house to become such a disaster. Curiosity struck Julius once more, and he peaked into the kitchen. It looked rather barren, an immediate red flag. Upon further inspection, his fridge was almost empty, but chocked full of alcohol and... icecream. “Alex. Did you eat anything today?” 

“Uh... I stole some fries from Cleos lunch.”

“You’re the worst.” Julius scowled, before sifting through his fridge. Eventually he gathered enough things to make a meal. A simple salad, which should be good enough. Julius shoved the bowl of greens in Alex’s face, feeling rather embarrassed. “For me..? I thought you were making a meal for your own sake.” 

“Don’t be ungrateful, just eat it.” Julius watched with interest as Alex dug into his salad, face lighting up with excitement. 

“Hey... this is real good!”

“Naturally. I made it after all.”

“Thanks Julius! I owe you one!” 

“I-“ Julius froze. This wasn’t how he intended the situation to go. “You can make it up to me by never bothering me again.”

“Huh...?” Alex stopped eating. “You’re such a pain, did ya know that, Julius?”


	2. A New Leaf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dang we get to meet more characters?? Swag as hell... anyway if you’re not my friend Sofia and you’re reading this I’m so sorry this definitely doesn’t make any sense

Alex woke up feeling lighter then usual. As he recalled the events from yesterday, warmth crept up his face. It wasn’t uncommon for him to get drunk, but doing it at school was undoubtedly a terrible idea. And of course it had to be Julius to find him in such a state. 

Julius was much kinder then he had anticipated. Julius was... warm. Although, standing so close to him was very strange. Alex’s tutors used to tell him that he was very observant, he simply loved to analyze the little things most would overlook. Like how Julius smelt like the doctors office, or how when he smiled, it was a cat-like sneer. 

Sure Julius could be arrogant and rude, insulting others and giving people a hard time for no reason, but he wasn’t all bad, clearly. It was embarrassing for Alex to admit he had a little crush, since he barely knew the meaning behind the word. Fortunately, he had watched enough movies to understand that this feeling that had bloomed in his chest was something that transcended simple adoration. 

Slipping into the empty kitchen, Alex pulled the refrigerator door open, scanning it for its usual lackluster contents. Next to where he usually kept a platter of nothing, and directly above the expired ketchup, was something that shouldn’t be there. A plate of scrambled eggs and toast in one of the nice dishes Alex only used when Aristotle was home. He furrowed his brow, how could there be a neatly made breakfast waiting for him? A note that was attached cleared up his question immediately:

“I made you breakfast when I was over yesterday. Were you too drunk or too stupid to realize? Was the smell of eggs cooking really too faint or is your house just that large. 

Don’t look too much into it, I just feel bad for a sorry excuse of a rival.  
-Julius”

Alex laughed a little. He was hilarious, though it clearly wasn’t intentional. Julius had very cute handwriting, he noted. It was small and round, and he made large loops for his g’s and anything similar. And his i’s had little bubbles where most people would just quickly jot down a little dot. 

Julius seemed so cold, yet everything about him was adorable. He was so short and small, and he looked like a lost little kitten who’s been living on the streets. His hair was messy like Alex’s was, except his was longer. It looked a little knotted but very soft. Not to mention how his bangs went well past his eyes, with the significantly larger chunk of hair in the middle reaching even below his nose. 

Alex threw the meal in the microwave, a million thoughts from last night rushing through his head. He would have to get to school quickly, but it was very much so in walking distance, and his uniform was thrown hastily on the floor for him to pick back off in the morning, so he wasn’t particularly worried. Alex got changed quickly, grabbing his tie and throwing it carelessly around his neck. 

His father used to tie his ties for him, but ever since he passed, Alex hasn’t bothered learning. Alex sighed, his father would be disappointed to see how lazy his son has become. The microwave sang its obnoxious tune, signaling that the its contents have been heated up appropriately. Alex carefully placed them down on the counter, that same smile from earlier creeping on his face. 

Taking his first bite of the meal, it was good. Well, for heated up eggs it was really good. Julius made them a bit on the drier side, maybe that was how he liked his scrambled eggs. Perhaps Alex would ask him about it later. Alex went to take a bite of the toast, stopping as he saw a smiley face imprinted on the front of the piece. Alex chuckled, Julius really was a cute boy. 

The walk to school was uneventful, which was alright. Alex liked walks, they were calming and most importantly, quiet. But as the grey haired boy approached the school building, it got ever so louder. Kids running around and chatting about upcoming tests, or the snobby rich kids that lived in the upper part of town. Alex rolled his eyes, he was one of said snobby rich kids. People always looked at him strangely when he walked through school, and it really grinded his gears. 

He had first period gym, which was a real treat. Fighting other people to the death was exciting, even if Alex didn’t understand how they somehow came back to life after with no wounds, only some soreness. There were many strange things in this world that didn’t make much sense.

———————

Only the wealthy kids got to participate in this gym fighting program, but a large majority of the people in this school had a great amount of money, so the program was still pretty large. Alex twirled his trident around in his hand a little, the cool metal always felt nice on his hands. Over on the bleachers, a couple students who’s parents did not allow them to participate in getting brutally killed, sat patiently waiting for the fighting to begin. 

Among these students was Julius, a good deal away from everyone else. Apparently he had wanted to fight but wasn’t allowed due to some unknown reason. He certainly was filled with mysteries, but not to say Alex wasn’t either. A bit of a ways away from Julius sat a small girl with pretty blue hair tied away into two neat braids. Alex recognized her as Christine, as she was good friends with Darius and Cyrus, and the twins were very fond of her. It seemed like a friend group was forming among the people in this gym class. 

Darius waved Alex over, Charles standing next to him. Charles, the student council president, was a peculiar boy. He was short and scrawny, with pale limbs and alert red eyes. His eyes were always so jarring, like deep pools of blood that could suck you up.

“Yo, Alex! You ready to do some strength training today?”

“Not really, I think it’s kind of annoying...”

Charles laughed. “Agreed, agreed! My Jeanne says it’s very important though~!”

“Jeanne? The purple chick, right?” Darius asked. “Man she’s like crazy cute.”

Charles looked personally offended. “Back off you scum! Don’t touch my Jeanne...” 

Alex cringed a bit. Charles was a very scary kid, and when given a rapier, it’s ten-times worse. He was a tough opponent as well, quick reflexes combined with his extremely passionate thrusts, his rapier could knock you out before you knew it. 

Not that he’s ever beat Alex though, but he’s certainly gotten close. Which is an impressive feat, as Alex was considered the best fighter in school. 

Alex tuned out whatever Darius and Charles were laughing about, letting his eyes drift around the room. They settled on Julius, who was scribbling furiously, most likely doing homework. “Hm? Whatcha looking at Alex?” Charles chimed. 

“Are you looking at a cute girl?” Darius added.

“Uh... not a girl.”

“Woah! I didn’t know you swung that way! Good for you buddy!” Darius ruffled Alex’s unkept hair. 

“Who is it, if I may ask?” Charles inched his face closer, his large eyes making the hairs on Alex’s arms stand up on their ends. 

“Y’know...Julius?” Alex suddenly felt awkward. His ears felt like they were on fire.

Darius deadpanned. “Seriously? You have literally the worst taste... like ever.” 

Charles nodded in agreement. “We’re in the student council together! While he is certainly a hard worker,” he paused, deep in thought, “but he’s absolutely no fun and if you talk to him too long he either yells at you or insults you!” 

Alex blinked. “Yeah. I know. But he was really nice to me... not verbally of course, but still.”

“Man, that sounds confusing..! Good luck with it I suppose.” Darius seemed ready to change the topic. 

Charles on the other hand, was not. “Well let’s get him in this little gym friend group we’re gathering!”

“And how would you suggest we do that? He’s seriously such an ass..?” Darius groaned. 

“Christine sits fairly close to him! Why don’t you ask her to invite him in! It’s impossible to say no to Christine~!” Charles beamed, proud of his idea. 

“Huh. I guess I can ask her. Do we actually want Julius in our friend group though?” Before Darius could finish, or Charles could respond, Alex suddenly perked up. 

“Absolutely. I need him in our friend group.”

Charles and Darius glanced at each other before shrugging. Alex looked back up at Julius, the blondes head slightly tilted down, causing his bangs to completely cover his face from this angle. Disappointing.


	3. Dim & Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yooooooo boy with the sickle cell anemia dont faint ur so swag aha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️If like fainting and mentions of illness make you uncomfy this chapter is not gonna be swag but then again no one is reading this (hopefully)so I think we r ok👍

Julius has been noticing strange occurrences as of late. Nothing like ghosts or spirits, but something even stranger. Lately, random people have been attempting conversations with him. The one thing they all seem to have in common is that they are all in his gym class. A lot of kids in gym have been very... friendly as of late, hanging out and talking all class. It must be nice, Julius thought, to be able to talk to someone freely. 

It started with a short girl with blue hair. She always sat far away from everyone on the bleachers, like Julius did, but after class she could be caught talking with those insufferable twins. She had gently tapped Julius on the shoulder, before apologizing immediately. 

“I-I’m so...so..s-sorry..” she stammered. Normally, Julius would scold someone for getting into his personal space, but she looked so incredibly scared he just couldn’t. 

“Hm? Did you need something?” Julius narrowed his eyes. She reminded him of Cleo, well how Cleo used to act. She was so timid, always on eggshells. Yet she betrayed Julius too, she was no different from Brutus. They were all the same, everyone is. 

“Um...D-Darius...he... wants to k-know... if you’d... like to hang out with...all of us on... uhm... Saturday..?” Julius couldn’t stop a scowl from forming on his face. An obvious ploy to embarrass him, who knew what the lot of them were scheming after all. 

“No, I would rather bite off my own tongue.” He spat out at the poor girl. She immediately bowed her head, spewing out apologies before scampering off. Julius put his hand over his mouth, it was shaking slightly. 

_What the hell do they want from me? Cleo was in that group, was she not? Did she just want to rub in how happy she is now and how miserable I am? I won’t have it. I won’t let people hurt me again._

Julius packed up his backpack quickly, standing up abruptly before leaving the gym immediately. As he walked past people, the blonde kept his head up high, putting on the coldest face he could possibly muster. Usually, students were not allowed to just walk out of any class, but Julius was a special case. He nodded at the gym teacher, which essentially signified he was leaving for medical purposes. Which was a lie, but it was convenient, and Julius needed to get out of that stuffy gym as soon as possible. 

Julius suddenly felt rather tired, which was very normal for him, but it was only first period, and he had all of his classes left to suffer through. So, once he had exited the gym, Julius sat down carefully on the nearby stairs. It was the middle of class, so it was incredibly unlikely anyone would find him like this, his head resting on his miserable little knees. Unfortunately, Julius miscalculated. He had realized the pair of white gym shoes were steadily approaching him a little too late, as the gym was adjacent to his bad ear. Julius stood up immediately, causing his vision to blur slightly. He reached out for the cool metal of the stairs railing, leaning on it for much needed support. 

“Hey... are you ok?” Alex took a step forward. 

“...It’s none of your business, is it?” Julius snapped back. Alex sighed, before gently lifting up Julius’s bangs, placing his hand on his forehead. 

“You don’t have a fever... so that’s-“ Alex stopped, his eyes focusing on Julius’s face. Heat rose into Alex’s cheeks, he had never seen Julius’s features this well, as his hair covered up so much. 

“What... stop staring at me, freak.” 

“Pretty.”

“Hah? S-stop looking at me like that!” 

“Huh? I’m sorry, I’m sorry, so stop hitting meee...” 

“Ugh, how dare you touch a sickly person!” 

“Sickly...? So you are sick? We have to get you to the nurse!” Alex suddenly looked restless, as if he were ready to sweep Julius off his feet and carry him all the way to the infirmary. 

“No! ...No I’m not sick, I was... lying.” Julius took a few steps back up the stairs. He couldn’t let Alex know too much about him, especially something like his health. That would put him at a greater risk of getting hurt. 

“Hey... it’s ok if you’re sick? Everyone gets sick sometimes, c’mon let’s go to the nurse, I’ll go with you.” Julius flushed. What was with this kid, saying something like that out of the blue. 

“No...it’s... I’m...”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“I’ve got a lot of...health problems, so don’t worry about it.” Julius suddenly felt incredibly small, like he had just left himself open on all sides to be picked apart and left to rot. He had told himself he wouldn’t tell Alex about it, yet Alex just kept pushing closer and closer, blurring the boundaries Julius had so painstakingly set. 

“Alex, come back, Coach is looking for you!” A loud voice echoed from the entrance to the gym. Julius froze, immediately recognizing the figure as Cleos. 

“Huh? Oh... yeah, I’m coming.” Alex shrugged before walking back over. Cleo gave Julius a nod, pushing Alex back inside the gym. 

This couldn’t be happening. Why would Cleo care? Did she know Alex was stepping into dangerous territory? But did that mean she had been eavesdropping? Maybe they really were out to get him, or was Alex just expressing genuine concern? Julius chewed on his bottom lip, Alex had called him pretty. How ridiculous. Between all this, Julius began to feel faint. Every step felt heavy, like his legs would stop working any second. Julius felt so incredibly dizzy, it was starting to make him nauseous at this point. His sickle cell anemia caused things like this frequently, but it had been a while since he had experienced faintness this badly. 

Julius evaluated his options. He wasn’t going to make it to the nurses office. He would faint in the hallway before he even got halfway there. If he walked into the gym and asked for help, he would then be vulnerable to a group of kids who may be out to get him. 

Alex cared did he not? If Alex tried to do anything, perhaps Julius could threaten to expose him for getting drunk on school grounds. Cruel, but it was a good backup plan. How could he contact Alex without going in the gym? An idea flashed before Julius, and he was too lightheaded to think on it, so he pulled out his phone, his arms were beginning to feel so heavy, and the sounds from inside the sweaty gym were becoming distant. As he opened his emergency contacts, Julius clicked on Cleos contact, praying he wasn’t breathing too hard into the microphone (which he was). 

“...Julius. Look-“

“Help me, please.” Julius cut her off before she could say something pertaining to their current broken friendship.

“Hey, woah, woah, woah! You’re breathing really heavily-“ she paused, “I’m coming outside now, and I’m bringing Alex.” 

Julius let his shoulders relax a little bit, his vision fading to black before tenderly focusing back to the empty hall. People were running towards him, there was more then just Cleo and Alex there. It scared Julius more then he wished to admit. 

“...Hey..! Julius!” Someone was calling out to him, but he couldn’t identify the voice. Maybe, it was Alex; for some reason, Julius thought that would be nice. 

And suddenly, he was falling to the cold, hard floor. 

Yet rather then being met by the unforgiving tile, Julius felt warm arms stop him from falling completely over, albeit a bit roughly. Alex’s face was there now, worry apparent on his brow. Julius wanted to smooth it out, let him know he’d be okay. He always was after all. 

Maybe it was just nice to have people come to his aid, even if it was during an emergency. Julius wanted to say something, but it didn’t come out right. “......okay...” was all he could weakly let out. Alex looked down at him, calculative and confused. Julius gave up, he was ever so tired. It would be better to go to sleep now.


End file.
